Why do we say backwards but not forwards?

Question

I have just realized that I've never seen movement descriptor "forward" written with an 's' like backward**s**

Answer 1

Part of the reason backwards sounds more familiar than forwards is due to the number of idioms that use ”backwards" such as "Backwards about coming forward" and "Bend over backwards".

In British English, forward and backward are adjectives, whereas forwards and backwards are adverbs. The Chicago Manual of Style says,

"The preferred form in American English is toward: this has been so since about 1900. In British English, towards predominates. The same is true for other directional words, such as upward, downward, forward, and backward, as well as afterward. The use of afterwards and backwards as adverbs is neither rare nor incorrect (and is preferred in British English). For the sake of consistency, many American editors prefer the shorter forms without the final s."

reference:

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch05/psec250.html

Answer 2

Hello! This is one of those grammar mistakes that has become so common that it sounds correct and many people do not even realize it is incorrect. It should always be "backward" and "forward," not "backwards" or, as you noted, "forwards." You may also hear some people say "towards," but it should always be "toward." If you are writing something formal for school or work, then stick with "backward." Don't worry about it too much if you are just talking casually. Whichever one you use, you will be understood and no one will notice the error.

Answer 3

"backward" is standard in American English and "backwards" is standard in British English; my presumption is that the same is true for "forward"

Check out this article: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/109924/is-it-backward-forward-or-backwards-forwards